The New International Hotel Senior Residences is under construction at Jackson and Kearny.
A two-block stretch of Kearny Street (between Washington and Columbus will be designated as "Manilatown" and declared an historic landmark by Supervisor Aaron Peskin. The the area includes the site of the original International Hotel and the new International Hotel Senior Residences which are under construction. Photo by Kim Komenich in San Francisco

Photo: Kim Komenich

The New International Hotel Senior Residences is under construction...

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Rally outside the Hotel, after the stay of eviction. Photo by Dave Randolph/The Chronicle, January 23, 1977.

In the wee hours of Aug. 4, 1977, more than 50 Asian immigrants, most from the Philippines, were evicted from the International Hotel on Kearny and Jackson streets in San Francisco. Many in the community say an important part of the city's history was lost that day.

On Tuesday, that history was resurrected as city officials declared a two- block corridor of Kearny Street as "Manilatown," a designation that will serve as a reminder of the first but nearly forgotten Filipino community established in San Francisco.

"The name of a place creates cultural, physical and historical identity that permeates in the minds of all who come," said District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who sponsored the resolution that established the corridor between Washington and Columbus on Kearny as a Filipino historical and cultural center.

"It reminds people of an integral part of the city and also celebrates the diversity of the city," he added. "I remember the I-Hotel evictions, and I remember when that area was (unofficially) called Manilatown. But for the tens of thousands of people who've come here since then, there's no knowledge of that history."

About 35 people, including Supervisors Chris Daly and Tom Ammiano, attended a City Hall press conference Tuesday in which Peskin announced the Manilatown designation. Peskin's resolution was partly prompted by a new International Hotel, or I-Hotel as it was better known, that is being built on the site of the old low-income, single-room occupancy residence. The original hotel was the last reminder of a bustling Filipino community that occupied much of a 10-block stretch of Kearny, from California Street to Columbus Avenue, from the 1910s to the 1970s.

At its peak in the 1920s and '30s, the original Manilatown was home to about 20,000 manongs, male Filipino immigrants who searched for their fortunes in the United States. They frequented Filipino-owned barber shops, pool halls, restaurants and other businesses. Many worked seasonal jobs in farms, canneries and factories, and Manilatown was home during their off-season.

Following the contentious eviction of I-Hotel residents and the razing of the three-story building in 1977, Manilatown ceased to exist, except in spirit. Most of the residents, many of whom were in their 60s and 70s, relocated to South of Market.

"I'll always be nostalgic for the past," said Emil De Guzman, 56, who was among the evicted I-Hotel residents. "A lot of the manongs who lived and fought alongside me are gone. At the same time, I'm extremely gratified (by the Manilatown designation)."

De Guzman is president of the Manilatown Heritage Foundation, which was formed in the late 1990s to help rebuild the I-Hotel. The new 14-story, 104- unit residence will open in April 2005 and provide housing for low-income seniors. A community and cultural center on the ground floor will honor the tenants of the first I-Hotel and the Filipino community.

By the 1960s, the Financial District had encroached on much of Manilatown. In 1968, new ownership decided to level the hotel and replace it with more profitable commercial development. Eviction notices were handed out to hotel residents the following year.

But the Asian American community, inspired by the civil rights movement, came to the defense of the elderly residents. The evictions were postponed as the case dragged through the courts for eight years and another change of the hotel's ownership. In 1977, a judge sided with the new owner, a Bangkok investor, and ordered the tenants out.

The residents were evicted despite the efforts of 5,000 protesters who jammed Kearny Street to block 300 police officers and sheriff's deputies.

But the new high-rise never materialized as city officials and activists blocked development that lacked low-income housing. The lot on which the I- Hotel stood remained empty for 25 years until a coalition that includes the Roman Catholic Archdiocese bought the property from its Thai owner.

For Bill Sorro, 65, Manilatown Heritage Foundation vice president, the designation is bittersweet because the Filipino community was forced from the area long ago.

"I don't want to say that it's almost artificial," said the former I- Hotel resident, "but the challenge in a lot of ways is to bring Filipinos back to Manilatown and introduce them to that part of our history. Our history is tied to the I-Hotel. It's sacred ground on which the foundation for future Filipino immigrants to come here was laid out."

Events

The Manilatown Heritage Foundation will hold a number of events to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the I-Hotel evictions, including a candlelight procession at 7 p.m. Aug. 4 from Portsmouth Square to the I-Hotel site, followed by a dinner at Old St. Mary's Cathedral on Aug. 6 and a bowling fund-raiser at Daly City's Serra Bowl on Aug. 8. For more information, go to www.manilatown.org.